Spring supported child&#39;s crib



Aug, 21, 1951 E. F. BORRELLI SPRING SUPPORTED CHILD'S CRIB 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 1, 1946 Aug. 21, 1951 Filed April 1, 1946 E. F. BORRELLI 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ;1: @mm M 1 j I [5 40 J Q INVENTOR. mffiavzlfi ZALWQQW Patented Aug. 21, i951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING SUPPORTED CHILDS CRIB Elmer F. Borrelli Philadelphia, Pa. Application April 1, 1946, Serial No. 658,792

8 Claims. (Cl. -104) This invention relates to crib beds, and more particularly to improvements in sleeping cribs adapted for use by young-infants and small children.

The ordinary sleeping crib, when in actual use, remains stationary at all times. When a child occupying the crib awakens and becomes restless, it usually cries. In most instances, the crying child is lifted by a parent or nurse from the stationary crib and is rocked or walked until sleep returns, whereupon the sleeping child is again placed in the crib.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a delicately balanced spring supported crib which will react to the slightest mo.- tion of the child, whereby, when the child awakens and becomes restless, and as a conse-v quence of such restlessness tosses and rolls or otherwise moves about in the crib, the crib will automatically receive a universal rocking or swaying motion, with the result that the child. 7

will be efl'ectively rocked back to sleep Without,

the need of a parent or nurse entering the nursery, picking up the child and rockingor walking it, or in any way moving the crib by manual operation.

Another object of the present invention is to construct the crib in such a manner that it may be poised and balanced at a predetermined angle to the horizontal, whereby, upon the slightest motion of the occupant, there will result a rocking motion of the crib, both laterally and longitudinally, which will tend to put a Waking child back to sleep.

Another object of the'present invention is to provide a crib which may be adjusted .to and rigidly maintained in any one of a number of angular positions as may be required for a particular child, to remain in such positions as long as desired.

The invention includes other features and advantages which will become apparent from the following description of a typical embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which: f

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the device;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation, partly in section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the device taken on the line 3--3, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 2'; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The crib primarily comprises a bed structure A, a base structure B, and a spring supporting 2 structure C interposed between said base and. said bed structures.

The bed structure A comprises a pair of transversely extending end panels I and 2, a pair of longitudinal side panels 3 and 4, and a bottom member 5. Attached to the under surface of the bottom member 5 of the body A are two parallel longitudinal beam elements 6 and I.

Secured to the opposite ends respectively of the longitudinal beam elements 6 and I, are shackle brackets or hangers 8, 8, respectively. The brackets 8, 8 are forked at their outer ends, to receive the ends of shackle links 9, 9 therebetween. Shackle bolts I 0, I8 extend transversely of said forked brackets 8, 8 and serve as fulcrums for one end of shackle links 9, 9 which are pivoted thereon. The opposite ends of the shackle links 9, 9 are pivoted about a similar series'of shackle bolts I I, I I which extend transversely through brackets I2, I2 secured to theopposite ends of a pair of longitudinalspring members l3 and I4,

running parallel with and lying beneath the beam members 6 and 1 respectively. b

At the respective center points of the spring members I3 and I4, said longitudinal springs arev secured to the opposite ends of a transversely ex:- tending cross bar I5, said cross bar being attached to said spring members I3 and I4 by screws I6,

I5. Beneath the cross bar I5, and attached thereto as by screws I1, I! is one arm I8 of a Z- shaped transverse spring member 28, the bottom arm I9 of which is attached to a shaft 25, as by screw members 24, 24. g v

The shaft 25 is rotatably mounted in a pair of split bearings 26 and 21 respectively carriedby side stringers 28 and 29 of the base or frame structure B.

The base structure B comprises said longitudinally running base members 28 and 29, transversely extending end members 30 and 3i, and upright corner post members 33, 33 and within the area established thereby the said crib structure A is adapted to rock.

At one end of the shaft 25 there is formed an "enlarged drum 40 which is adapted to rotate i within the split bearing 26. The relatively movable partsof the split bearing 26 are adapted to I be drawn snugly aroundthe drum 40 by bolts 4| and 42, to frictionally hold the drum 40 and the crib structure A in any one of a number of angular tilted positions relative to the base structure B, with the crib structure A free to rock longitudinally and transversely at will. v

On the end of the shaft 25, adjacent the drum 40. is a disc 46 having a plurality of holes or indentations 41, 41 which are adapted to receive a spring detent 50. The detent 50 is secured to the longitudinal rail 28 of the base structure B and is adapted to hold the shaft 25 and the crib structure A in its aforesaid tilted positions coordinately with the friction drum 40. A foot release pedal 55 (see Fig. 5) is adapted to release the detent 50 from the disc 46 when the crib structure A is being tilted manually.

In operation, the crib structure A is adapted to rock both'forwardlyand backward ly and sideways as 'a result of then'esilien cy of the longitudinal spring members l3 and I4 and the trans: verse spring member 20. Due to universal resilient teetering action afforded by the'spri'ng supporting mechanism C, the body A of the. crib will react to any motion of a sleeping or waking oc cupant, with the resulting effectfthat achil'do'n awakening, will tend to be rocked to sleep again, due to such motion. The slightest motion of the child will have a corresponding effect on the crib.

If it is desired to maintain the crib in a stationary position, locking pins 60, 69' areadap ted to. be inserted selectively in-particular holes of the series of holes 6|, 6| formed in the upright corner posts of the'base structure B, and in a series of holes 62, 62tformed in the corner posts of the crib structure A, so that the' desired position may be obtained and maintained.

I claim:

1. A crib comprising a stationary base structure, a relatively movable body structure, and an intermediate spring supporting structure connecting said body structure to said base structure and including a transverse spring carried by said base structure, a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal springs carried by said body structure and centrally connected 'to said transverse spring, a transverse shaft rotatably mounted in said base structure and supporting said transverse spring therein, and means for frictionally maintaining'said shaft in any one of a number of adjusted positions circumferentiallyfof said shaft.

2. A crib comprising a stationary i base structure, a relatively movable body structure, and anintermediate spring supporting structure connecting said body structure to'said base structure and including a transverse spring carried by said base. structure, a pair-of laterally spaced longitudinal springs carried by said body structure and centrally connected tosaid transverse spring, a shaft. rotatably mounted in and extending transversely of said base structure,'means securing said transverse spring to said transverse shaft, an indented disc secured to said shaft, and a spring detent carriedby said base structure and engageable with the indentations insaid disc" for maintaining saidbody structure selectively in anyone of a "number of longitudinally tilted free rockingfpositions relative tosaid' base structure.

3. A crib comprising a stationary base structure, a relatively movable body structure, and an intermediate springsupporting structure conneeting' saidbody structure to'said base structure and includinga transverse spring carried by said base structure, a pair' of laterally spaced longitudinal springs carried by said body structure and centrally connected to said transverse spring, a shaft rotatably mounted in and extending transversely of said base structure, means secur-' ing said transverse spring to said transverse shaft, an indented disc; secures to said shaft, a spring able with the indentations in said disc for maintaining said body structure selectively in any one of a number of longitudinally tilted free rocking positions relative to said base structure, and foot release means for disconnecting said detent from said disc.

4. A crib comprising a stationary base structure, a relatively movable body structure, a pair of spaced parallel spring members supporting said body structure and to which the body structure is attached, a cross bar extending between said spring members and connected thereto substantially midway between the ends of the spring members, and another spring member interposed between saidbase structure and said cross bar, and secured both to the base structure and the cross bar, and serving as the sole means for supporting the body structure and the first-mentioned spring members on the base structure.

5. A crib comprising a, stationary base structure, a relatively movable body structure, a pair of spaced parallel spring members supporting said body structure and to which the body structure is attached, and a Z-shaped spring member extending transversely with respect to said firstmentioned spring members and interconnecting the latter with said base structure, and serving as the sole means for'supporting the body structure and the first-mentioned spring members on the base structure.

6. A crib comprising a stationary base structure, a relatively movable body structure, a pair of spaced parallel spring members supporting said body structure and to which the body structure is attached, a cross bar extending between said spring members and connected thereto substantially midway between the ends of the spring members, and a Z-shaped transverse spring member interposed between said base structure and said cross bar, and secured both to the base structure and the cross bar, and serving as the sole means for supporting the body-structure and the firstmentionedspring members on the base structure.

'7. A crib comprising a stationary base structure, a relatively movable body structure, and an intermediate spring supporting structure connecting saidbody structure to said base structure and including a transverse spring carried by said base structure, a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal springs carried-by said body structure and centrally connected to said transverse spring, a transverse shaft rotatably mounted in said base structure and'supporting said transverse spring therein, whereby said body structure may be disposed in any one of a numberv of longitudinally said base structure, a pair of 5 laterally spaced longitudinal springs carriedby said body structure and centrally connected to said transverse spring, a transverse shaft rotatably mounted in said base structure and supporting said transverse spring, the lower arm of the transverse Z-shaped spring extending alongand being secured to said shaft, said body structure'being disposable in,

any oneof a number oflongitudinally tilted free rocking positions relative w the base structure by virtue of the rotatability of said shaft, and Number means cooperatively associated with said shaft 374,277 for maintaining said body structure in any one of 431,401 said positions. 598,473 ELMER F. BORRELLI. 5 639,389 1,049,372 REFERENCES CITED 1,185,161 The following references are of record in the 1,242,509 file of this patent: 1,261,400 UNITED STATES PATENTS 293L284 Number Name Date 154,458 Conover Aug. 25, 1874 Number 260,146 Wiggers June 27, 1882 191,860 313,002 Kops Feb. 24, 1885 15 Name Date Smith Dec. 6, 1887 Schiesl July 1, 1890 Coffman Feb. 1, 1898 Holmes Dec. 19, 1899 Lamplugh Jan. 7, 1913 Ambler May 30, 1916 Zatzkin Oct. 9, 1917 Johnson Apr. 2, 1918 Smith Feb. 18, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Jan. 25, 1928 

